TOLEDO — The University of Toledo Board of Trustees has endorsed a new five-year strategic plan aimed at growing the university’s academic, research and healthcare missions while recommitting to its founding ties to the Toledo region.
The “Growing for Toledo” plan was approved at the board’s Wednesday, Sept. 23, meeting. It was shaped by a year of conversations university President James Holloway held with students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, political leaders and community members, informed by enrollment trends, financial data and the university’s operating outlook.
“This plan reflects what we heard from our community over the past year: that our growth must be mission-driven, bringing more value to the students we teach, the region we serve and the patients we treat,” Holloway said. “We were founded in 1872 on a promise to support the success of this city and this region.”
The plan is organized around five strategic pillars, building on themes Holloway introduced at his October 2025 presidential inauguration. They include realizing the “UToledo Advantage” by growing enrollment through attractive programs, stronger recruiting and retention, and experience-based education for every new undergraduate student regardless of major.
The university has faced enrollment and financial pressures in recent years shared by many regional public institutions across Ohio. The strategic plan is intended to chart a path toward stability and growth, with particular emphasis on programs tied to workforce needs in the Toledo area.
University leaders said the plan reaffirms UToledo’s purpose, promise and pride: supporting students’ professional futures, maintaining a lasting bond with the Toledo region, and taking unabashed pride in both. Implementation details and timelines for the plan’s goals are expected to be rolled out in the coming months.
